Promo for a forthcoming blockbuster of a book!
"If you have to ask the price, you probably couldn't afford me anyway ...." Belle Dubois
‘Cajun Beauty’
Some say she’s ‘Sassy’
Many call her ‘Tramp’
I just call her ‘Belle’.
Both of us doing
What we have to;
To survive through
Each and every day
In this stinking hell
Which we dwell.
Folks call me ‘Preacher’
To the others I am the priest
Then there are those
Who like carrion,
On my eternal soul
Want to feast.
Taken from 'Blowin' the Blues' (A Story of the South)
*To be published hopefully later this year by Maverick Mustang Manuscripts *
"The Crisis has been averted, for now ….
All we have to do is deal with the Aftermath! ….
(On the discovery and subsequent draining of an outspanned-hand sized tumour, attached to my brother's lung and heart. Now awaiting the results of the biopsy to determine whether chemo or radio therapy will be a solution given that surgery is not an option)
****************
Credo.
Try to get yourself up before the rest of the world,
Starting firstly at 7am, then 6am, then even 5:30am.
Go to the nearest hill, wearing a warm coat and scarf, watch the sun rise.
Practise trying to fall asleep quicker.
By going to bed earlier.
Instead of staying up past midnight.
Start with maybe 11pm,
Then try progressing to 10pm, finally 9pm.
Wake up in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable.
Go and lie in your garden and feel the warmth of the sunshine on your skin.
Get into the habit of cooking yourself a good and filling breakfast.
Fry freshly picked tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, then fry an egg, slice up a fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it.
Grind up some of your favourite beans,
Make a fresh pot of coffee.
Sit, eat, and drink it and do nothing else.
Stretch. start by reaching for the sky as hard as you can, then trying to touch your toes. roll your head. stretch your fingers. stretch everything.
Buy a litre bottle of water. start by pushing yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking at least another bottle twice a day.
Buy yourself a diary and a black pen. write down everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments, coffees, what you need to do that day. no detail is too small.
Strip your bed of sheets and empty your underwear draw into the washing machine. wash, then hang them in the sunshine to dry naturally. Make your bed in full.
Dig your fingers deep into the earth, plant seeds. Watch your success as they grow every day.
Organise your room. fold all your clothes, (and bag up those you don’t want), clean your mirror, your laptop, vacuum the floor.
Light at least one candle daily.
Breathe. practice your deep breathing. ground yourself.
Have a luxurious shower with your favourite music playing. wash your hair, scrub your body, brush your teeth. lather your whole body in moisturiser, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner thighs, the back of your neck.
Push yourself to go for a walk. take your headphones, go to the beach, and walk. smile at strangers walking the other way and be genuinely surprised at how many smile back.
Bring your dog and observe the dog’s behaviour.
Realise you can learn much from your dog.
Message some friends with personal jokes. reminisce. suggest that you all catch up soon, even if you don’t follow through.
Push yourself to follow through.
Think long and hard about what interests you.
Find a book about it and read it.
There is a book about literally everything.
Become the person you would ideally fall in love with.
Let other cars merge into your lane when driving.
Pay for double the time that you need for a parking ticket
And leave the second period in the machine. for someone else’s use.
Stick your tongue out at babies. help an animal. compliment people on their cute clothes.
Challenge yourself to not ridicule anyone for a whole day. then two. then a week.
Walk with a straight posture. look people in the eye. ask people about their story.
Talk to acquaintances so they become friends.
Lie in the sunshine. daydream about the life you would lead if failure wasn’t an option. open your eyes.
Follow your dreams, and make it happen.
Take small steps to make it happen for you.
#WorldPoetryDay
04/10/2018
"Welcome to my Web."
Said the Spider to the Fly,
"Are you here to dance, perchance?
Or did you come to die?"
**************
Trading posts were where trappers brought their furs and pelts to trade. Prospectors brought silver, copper, iron ore. Gold dust and nuggets, diamonds. Native Americans (the Red Indian tribes) brought their artefacts to trade with the White Man. Settlers bought lumber to build homesteads, seeds and saplings to plant.Wire for fencing to set down their roots. Purchased general provisions and supplies. People picked up their mail, learnt the latest news and left information for others. Seemed like the perfect name for a group based on the principles that it was founded on. Namely that the best recommendations are by word of mouth by people who know people who know other people and so on.
*******************
"Who knows how these things start, … A whispered word, a phrase overheard, bar-room bantering, listening to loose-lipped lies … But as someone said, publicity counts, however it comes …"
**************
Reflections (Forgive & Forget)
I don't bear grudges,
I just have a very long memory.
(Growing shorter by the minute,
with the passing of the years)
Forgive and Forget?
…………………..
Mirror Images
(Alice's 'Through the Looking Glass)
It was very long ago.
With all those feelings
Of being somehow
So far away
And of course
I was then
So much stronger
Than I am today ...
It really was
very long ago
But then not so very far away
I thought I was
That much stronger
Than I feel today.
Breastfed baby,
Not on the bottle
Then the downward
Diving down slopes.
Boy friends,
Girl guides,
Wanton women,
Male mates.
All in a life.
…………..
'Seven in One Blow'
I hear that the weathermen
Predict that two months worth
Of winter rain will fall in one day.
In early June.
Sounds like a 'belting' fairy story to me.
Something on the lines of the Brothers Grimm's,
'The Brave Little Tailor'
……………………
A Tale of Two Days
Yesterday the sun shone down
And the Gods did smile.
Today the rain has arrived in droves
And the land is soaked.
if yesterday was but today
Then the story that was written
Could have been very different
And the ending would have been
Such a shame.
…………….
A review of 'Confinement in Croatia (and other Blogs) by Chris Phillips
"I would hate to play him at Poker.
And a game of Chess could prove difficult.
And I am considered no slouch at either.
It has taken less than fifteen minutes this time;
To stun me yet again into admiration.
This is now the fifth occasion I have crossed swords
With his intellect.
and the result has always been the same."
*Sharp as Mustard. Cold as Ice*
………………..
Polling Day
Polling Day.
Faithful followers
Of all political persuasions,
Knocking on doors.
Desperately trying to rally the troops.
Seemingly to no avail.
Doesn't bother me though,
I've got a postal vote!
………………………………..
I needed an Hour
I needed an hour,
For the rain clouds to stay on high.
I needed an hour,
For the wind to keep them blowing by.
I needed an hour,
For all the wet washing to dry.
I needed an hour.
But did I get it?
No, not I.
……………………….
Writing Prompt - 'Throwaway Lines'
Her name was Belle. She was a beautiful blonde. He was definitely interested; but as her friend said " She is Rumanian and doesn't speak English" ...
………
The Man from the Ministry
They had a problem,
So they sent for him.
The Man from the Ministry.
To look for something that was lost.
To find the thing that was missing.
Their peace of mind.
…………………….
"Some days, Lord, the load can get very heavy, like when they send your brother home from hospital to 'sort out affairs and spend some time with the family' …."
************
'Metal Muscle' - There's no substitute for Horse Power!
Bad Bladder Blues
It has been a long time,
Since I have been able to say;
I'll be 'wanting' a wee
In a while.
For many years since,
It's be more a case;
Of that I 'need' a pee,
Now!
…………………..
Going Green
Some say the ham,
Has had it,
Others reckon it's the smell,
That gives it away.
But too many years,
Of working with petroleum;
Has destroyed my olfactory glands,
Hence its odour means nothing to me.
With the passage of the years,
My sight has slowly
Diminished as well.
So it's a good job that
I'm not colour blind.
Isn't it?
…………….
That damn comet is getting closer!
The pain is slowly getting worse.
The daily doses of drugs,
I already take;
Rule out chemo as an option.
The permanent pacemaker
Rules out using radiology.
The combination of which;
Makes a physical operation a no-no.
For they cannot promise to be able
To keep my heart stable;
Whilst I'm lying prone on the table.
And they cannot replicate
My now peculiar blood
In volumes required
To be able to validate the needs
Of serious major surgery.
Therefore palliative care,
Seems to be the only solution.
Short of a miracle.
………………..
"Just sometimes, you have to cut your cloth, to match the pattern of the weave, especially when it is plaid …. "
********
The Shanty Shack Trading Post